I send them back to Capita, Darlington DL98 1AT, with a loving message on the front. It gives a postman a job and my message tells them what I think of them.
Same here. I keep getting letters asking me to confirm that I DO NOT require a TVL. I cancelled years ago, don't watch TV and have no intention of doing so in the near future. If they want to come to my address, as they've stated in several letters, so be it. I fear them not.
Yes TV licencing try to scare you into thinking you need a TV licence when you may not. Could you comment on the harrissing letters / emails like the one you read out. If this was from any other company or person, would this not constitute harassment? I do not know or have ever heard of any other company getting away with such intimidating and aggressive marketing!
ABSOLUTELY right, Wayne. i mean............. those screamingly red envelopes they use when they go to threat level 3.2. Like you say: "If this was from any other company or person, would this not constitute harassment?" 100%. i don't know how they are allowed to do this.
@@raymondo162 Their allowed to get away with this 'scam' due to the protection they get from the government. If anyone else tried these tactics to get 'sales', they would be banned pronto from carrying out any business I should think. If the beeb "went" tomorrow, it would be a day too late.
@@sirmalus5153 It would be interesting to see if someone setup a fake letter changeing the company name and phone numbers but used the rest of TVL text/Fonts with the correct details of where to complain about it on the back, possibly even doing interview followups getting peoples reactions
and to add guaranteed when they complain and read part of the letter they will be told oh thats TVL they can do that only tofind it is not and then decide they want to take action
I've received this also. Addressed to "The Occupier" so I can ignore it ... The other one, I have previously received begins with "We know, You know" . I keep them all, in a safe place. My shredder. It's just FEAR porn.
@@djsylambert Even if you're watching TV, It's the "property" that needs to be licensed, not the occupier. That's why they need you to admit to it. Ignore the threat-o-grammes and close the door if they turn up. You're under no obligation to co-operate with them.
That's exactly how i watch tv and have done for many years. Why pay for something that I don't want, can't watch or even recieve. Next "they" will want to charge for walking outside, for using the sun to light your way. No such thing as free sunlight if they get their way.
They certainly do know the law but they're prepared to lie in their letters and emails in order to frighten as many people as possible into paying for a tv licence even if they don't need one. Complaining to an mp or the police is probably pointless as they will take the side of an establishment institution like the bbc any day.
Genuine or not, this email follows the EXACT format and wording being used in recent written letters as has been documented by several anti-TV license TH-cam channels
Yes I've had several letters and emails since moving home in August last year. I've ignored the emails and the letters have been recycled. I hate it though...
If you don't watch live TV or use iPlayer you don't need a TV licence. You can watch catch-up services apart from iPlayer without a TV licence. It's a simple matter to cancel your TV licence. Just go to the licencing page on the BBC's website and fill in a simple form once every two years or so. By doing that you won't receive letters or visits from the TV licence sales department.
@@awatt If someone/ company sent you a letter every 2 years to state that you no longer wanted to buy their product, you would bin their letter. Same for TV licence
The first step to make sure that it is not a phishing scam, is to examine the domain that the links in the email point to. You can then use a WHOIS lookup to see who owns the domain, when it was created etc. If it doesn't belong to TV licencing, it would most likely be an attempt to phish for details.
Some of the more elaborate scams use some Russian characters that look the same as western characters however are treated differently so the address looks normal. уеаос look like yeaoc in English typeset other letters in Russian like квгрмн could easily be "overlooked" but the front size is just a little different.
Another thing to do is to open up the full headers of the message ie click show original in gmail, internet headers in outlook, raw source in apple mail, etc. Scanning down those headers is a log of everything that happened to the message to get it to you but it is in reverse order as each server adds their logs to the top of the message. So you want to pay attention to the Recieved: header closest to the bottom it with read something like this. Recieved: from hostname (hostname [ip-address]) Now that first domain name there is the one the server itself claimed in it's handshake but the one in brackets is the reverse DNS of their IP address. Both of these should match and should be a legitimate domain registered to the company that allegedly sent the message. Check whois to confirm the registrant of the domain name it should be in the name of the business and the address will usually be their corporate head office. If any of this is not the case increase suspicion. Oh and one other thing to look for any headers with Authentication-Results: in their name if any of the indented lines have the word fail after the equals sign this is a bad sign too. That means that the sender address claims to be from a domain that has published whitelists and/or signature keys for mail in their DNS record and the mail does not comply with those policies or has no/bad signatures. Rarely this could mean someone messed up but far more likely is that the email did not come from where it claims to. Anyway if any of this stuff looks off at all and it is a mail you are still concerned about still click absolutely nothing in the message and do not reply (At best doing this will confirm to the scammers they have a live email address and increase spam but a malware infection is very likely). Find the companies phone number or email address independently from their official website and contact them that way. Or if it is a TV licence threatogram just delete it and get on with your day actually in that case just do that from the start as even if it is legit it is just racketeering anyway.
You should do a collab with ChilliJonCarne as he's very into all of this and seems to be clued into the law pretty well and I think he has actually covered this very email on one of his videos and pretty much said the same thing as you have here. As for the email, it wouldn't surprise me if it were actually from TV Licencing. They have been consistently lying to everyone for decades, the "detector vans" being a prime example.
Pretty sure this one isn't the whole "I can prove I am telling the truth with some random trivia that can be looked up on facebook or google" thing makes it sound like it was written by a child with an overactive imagination or a scammer. Big red flag there. Legitimate companies are not inclined to engage in such obvious try hard behaviour because it looks blatantly scammy.
@@seraphina985 Your wrong about the detector vans, the old TV sets pre LCD ect. When being used it produced a radio frequency called an IF of around 10Mhz, the TV detector vans had a fibreglass side panel and an aerial with a tuner dedicated to 10Mhz, all they had to do is drive past each house and look for that frequency coming from your house and bingo you had a TV that was on.
According to ChillJonCarne (youtube streamer), they send letters identical to this all the time. Usually, further down in the letter or email, they state the actual legislation surrounding the use of TV and when a license is needed. They typically always open with statements that are factually incorrect but then add the correct information later in the correspondence.
If our MPs had any decency, they would summon the head of the BBC and of Capita to a televised committee and read out genuine letters from TV licence goons and ask them why they think them appropriate.
This happened in the days of Greg Dyke who was summoned before a select committee regarding the TV licencing letters and the goons. Many promises were made by Dyke and his lickspitals all of which have been broken. The meetings were televised on BBC Parliament.
When I first cancelled I got five emails from them from confirmation of cancelling and three like this then I got monthly letters through the post they also state what you said not in every letter.
My mum add a letter through the post saying they are sending some on out on the 27 January , she was 85 living on her own , how intimidating this would have been for her. My mum past away a year ago tomorrow 16 February they were told of her death as they asking for money for her license because now pensioners have to pay. Then we found a letter yesterday threatening fines it’s a very intimidating letter for a old person to get I’m very upset as it is right at the time we lost my mum
I had a letter telling me I had been caught illegally watching BBC IPlayer. Not true. These letters are meant to cause alarm and distress,and they never stop. Their enforcement officers are in fact salesmen. It is time this harassment was stopped
@@johnlesliegriffiths1430 that's not what I meant. If the government allows the BBC to get funds via taxes for a luxury then we need a better government.
It sounds genuine to me. The wording matches the one I received this morning for my no licence needed declaration. Mine was genuine, but just had the threat of sending someone to visit, but I've never seen anyone.
Treat it just the same as the paper letters - in this case, delete or paper versions, in the bin or on the fire, nothing they can do, if your not watching live tv or through the IPlayer
Can i ask.... the constant letters that come through my door from tv licence ,,,can these be considered as harrassment...constantly telling me they are going to visit, or asking if im going to be in on a certain day as they"might visit" on that day or another day. Im sick of them constantly sending them. I know i can register that i dont need one, but im not prepared to give them any of my details to hold on record. Im sure if i write to them they will then just add my details to this address.
Just give your details as first name thesole surname occupier date of birth 01 04 21 , then when you get another see if they write to the sole occupier , then change to the joint occupier, the list could be immense, also ask council to put you on the edited electoral register not the open one
How can it be harrasment if you're too lazy or obstinate to bother to tell they that you object to the letters, or that they've been sent under a false assumption.
Would you let a double glazing salesmen in to inspect your double glazing? They are same, they are salesmen from CAPITA, a company that tries to get revenue in by sending scary letters saying their Enforcement officer(salesman) will be paying a visit. Only if you are frightened of double glazing salesmen should you be worried.
@@chavbudgie4299 The difference is there is no legal requirement to ever own double-glazing...Tell you what, try replacing 'double-glazing' with 'road tax' or 'VAT' and run that analogy again.
Yes they emailed me the other day saying that their tone would 'become progressively stronger' if I continue to ignore them and that they will just keep writing to me regardless of my request to cancel! I'd already written to them three times (politely) to cancel my license, it's like they refuse to accept it!
I have a genuine letter from TVL stating exactly this which also went on to say... *"You can't make this problem go away by ignoring it, it'll only get worse if you do. You can make it go away by contacting us. It's best to call so that our advisers can help you find a way to repay what you owe."* Considering I didn't owe them anything. I also recorded myself reporting this to the police and they logged it as blackmail. I then uploaded it to youtube including the followup from which was quite funny !! I have made many videos regarding the TV licence.
@@simonavarne9635 The Threatening letters never stop, even if you register with the BBC as not needing a licence many people still get threatening letters.
I've had similar types stating from tv licensing. Mine had a lot of threats in it, and stated i could pay now to prevent prosecution. When i pressed "reply" to see the email address, it said licensing and an @ with a person's name. (I know, i chanced it by pressing reply.) This told me it was not tv licensing. However, if you ever call tv licensing to state you don't watch tv or live tv, they ask if you have anything in your home that you could watch tv from - phone, tablet, pc, tv. Then tell you that you must buy a licence if you have any of them in the house. Of course, this is not true. But they try it on, anyway.
This is just one of a series of letters that TVL sends out, I've been getting various levels of threats, (and they are threats) for over two years. Twice they have given me a date when they will call, I know they haven't because they haven't left a card to say they have called. It must have cost TVL more than the value of the licence fee to administer, print and post this series of letters. The letters are normally from a PO Box in Darlington, so now they just get torn up and thrown in the bin. It is time someone took action against the TVL for the amount and regularity of threats they send out.
TV Licencing has been sending inaccurate (lying?) communications for as long as I can remember. Some 35 years ago I received a letter telling me I needed a TV licence "to use a television set". At the time I was using a TV as a monitor for my Sinclair Spectrum and knew I didn't need a licence for that so I wrote and asked them to confirm that the law required me to have a TV licence no matter what I used the television for. No reply.
It’s a scam, mate. Typical of other phishing emails. If you click on the security link (if it is there) it’ll be a link that as soon as you click on it, will put malware on your computer.
I agree with Wayne Nixon and would like to know how tv licencing can get away with threats and harassment. Their letters are full of such inaccuracies as you describe in this video.
It's got to be a scam, otherwise they would have put the correct address in the email and not just a postcode, which covers multiple addresses. TV licences are issued to addresses, not postcodes.
Do you not see an issue in sending an email with is relatively insecure with someones name and full home address on it? That's a lot of personal data to be putting in it needlessly, the second half of post code with the licence number is enough. Banks send emails with half the post code and some other details obscured as well. Still doesn't give any guarantees that's it's genuine so should avoid clicking on any links.
@@ifyokoi9419 That just makes it look more like a scam. Anyone can get a random house number and a valid random UK postcode and hope it hits the target.
To see if it's a scam, just look at the sender's address. 99% of the time that's the instant give away. I've seen some pretty convincing ones, but there's always that little give away. So far, it's stood me in good stead.
It is possible to spoof the sender's email address and email servers can be hacked so that shouldn't be relied on. Scammers could also buy domains that look very similar to the real ones for a few quid there are companies that don't even use the domain of their website for email they use something else which can look very dodgy so really there's no good way to guarantee a genuine email or a very good scammer that knows what they're doing, which isn't many of them but they are getting better than they were a few years ago, other than not using any links on the email and checking with the company directly.
I've had intimidation letters with the same basic issue, but not for a long time. When I first cancelled my TV license in 2009, the first intimidation letter I received had the wording "If you watch or record TV at this address and you don't have a TV Licence, you need to buy one straight away.". Although streaming TV probably hadn't quite taken off back then, you could watch TV programs legally by e.g. buying them on DVD. I was more concerned that I was getting the first of these letters within a few weeks of cancelling my license (and providing at least a verbal declaration right then). I did the declaration again, and it was for three years back then - but that didn't stop them from starting the intimidation letters again one year later in 2011, then again in 2012, then again is 2013. It's in character and not the first time.
I am amazed that anyone can find anything to watch from the bbc these days. My 90 year old mother asks me several times a day why her television doesn’t receive the bbc anymore. I have to show her the bbc channels and explain that they don’t do any programming aimed at her even though they now want her to pay.
I recieved letter like this even though hadn't even used the TV at that point, and so far have only used Netflix on the TV since the living room has a blank plate over where the the aerial would come in. This is new build so there is no information on previous use. I feel the assumption is the default is people watch TV even a newly build house with no previous history of a TV being there. They are pressuring people to pay for revenue purposes using legal sounding jargon. How long would this strategy last without backlash? I have previously defended the licence fee, but they are doing themselves out of a valid argument for such a system. Especially in light of streamed subscription media.
Question sir; in what way does a Royal Mail [error... hand] delivered letter from TV Licencing differ from what I would describe as, "an unsubstantiated demand for monies with the threat of menace upon failure to comply"?
I agree. “Menaces” refers to a high degree of coercion - so “demanding money with menaces” refers to a person threatening to do something the victim would not wish them to do if payment is not made.
A threat of criminal prosecution if you continue to commit a crime is not a threat of menace. Obviously they should have some grounds for believing you are committing a crime before they threaten to prosecute you for it, but in practice they typically include plenty of "ifs" in their communications - you will be prosecuted *if* you watch (broadcast) TV. Also, if it is delivered by Royal Mail then it isn't hand delivered. Hand delivered means delivered by the hand of the person sending it.
@@thomasdalton1508 sorry yes, I had two thought processes running: happy to leave the error in honour of your attentiveness. there was something about Royal Mail delivery that I recall added a legal angle but my memory may be confusing Al Capone. The first threat is that they will come round and hand deliver it.
@@amojak Broadcast TV is a better description than live TV. "Live" usually means it is being broadcast at the same time it is taking place, which isn't relevant.
@@ukfmcbradioservicingTango21 Maybe if we all used their letters as toilette paper, then re-posted them, the post office would take on these scammers. Not that I am advising anyone to do that of course, as THAT WOULD BE SO WRONG wouldn't it??.
I'd treat it and report it to TVL as a scam for them to deal with. Scams are becoming a lot more common and we need to actually show these scammers that they do actually get reported.
@@learningpianoat61 we are subscribed to sky, without that we wouldn't be able to get any form of Internet to where we live, the first channel to pop up is BBC. We were told that because we would have that come up on screen before we could go to other channels we would be classed as watching BBC and need a licence.
last year when i was doing the no licence required declaration i noticed that their website contains misleading information as do their letters. tried bringing the points to their attention but gave up after a month due to lack of response on their part.
I haven't had that email, but I have long wondered how many threatening, misleading letters they have to send before it constitutes some form of harassment...
As far as I understand the letters they send out say the same wording saying it is illegal to watch TV at X address rather than saying it is illegal to watch LIVE TV or use BBC iPlayer said address because their intention is to defraud people using scare tactics into purchasing a TV License rather than being factual.
They send the same wording as a letter and have done for years. They get away with it because no one can afford to take the BBC to court. If you report it as harassment the police take no notice as soon as they find out its the BBC. Whereas should you deliver a letter to their head of revenue collections, once, the police will take that up as harrassment even though the law says it isn't and they shouldn't be involved. Still have the letter that came after my no licence needed declaration that says they'll assume I'm now watching TV again as I haven't told them I'm not. They've written to me as they 'Target unlicenced homes' as they have done for 5 years - is that legal? could police target your home if you'd been assumed to have broken the law - but there is no evidence.
If the police take no notice, what about sending it to you MP? As the TV licencing it a Government-funded agency (I may be wrong) and our MPs are supposed to represent us in Government, then get them to sort it out. Just an idea.
You are correct.I git a crime reference number after reporting them for harassment. The police texted the next day to say it was not a crime - it was apparent that it was because it was from them.
Why do you get so stressed about that? It's just computer generated letters everyone gets. Throw it in the bin and go about your day. Nobody's going to raid your house.
I contacted tv licensing and cancelled my license as I don't require one, they even refunded me some money and then within two weeks I was receiving their silly letters and emails trying to scare me into giving them my money again. One of the emails I received was exactly the same as this one, I believe it is genuine from the BBC
We've not had any TV licence for the last 6 years, we have a TV but it doesn't receive terrestrial programs, it's only used for watching dvds, told the licensing team and got a letter confirming we don't need one.
speaking as an ex postie who was around when post codes were introduced if as you say this letter stated watching TV at insert postcode, apart from exceptional circumstances like a huge office block belonging to a Bank Headquarters etc a post code is not one premises it can cover anywhere from say 3 houses up to 30 or more it depends on the type of road access and housing density, maybe query with Royal Mail ?
Smells like a phishing scam to me. Just looked at a letter from them (I collect them to hand back to any "officer" who decides to come knocking) and it is a lot more specific; "... if TV is being watched, recorded or downloaded illegally.", "It is illegal to watch or record live TV programmes..." though this letter is from September.
Tricky with a screenshot however, as with any emails containing links, hover over the link and it should show you bottom left of the screen where it's actually going to. Don't click it. Some of the better phishing scam emails I've seen have purported to be from TV Licensing. Better as in use of language and spelling that makes them seem legitimate. If in doubt about any email, go to the website in question without using the links in the actual email.
Never use the links there are unicode characters that look almost indistinguishable to english letters that are not but are valid in domains. Scammers sometimes use this to register domains that would look indistinguishable from the real one with that method.
Interestingly, if you declare that you do not need a TV license directly with TV licensing the wording of their thank you correspondence is crystal clear. It is possible that the unscrupulously worded emails are coming from Capita using the TVL domain. Happy to send a copy of the 'thanks for declaring you don't need a TVL' email if you need it for reference.
I received a letter through the post with almost the exact same words so there is a good chance that it is from Crapita on behalf of the BBC. It was followed up by some other equally intimidating letters which I also ignored. I ignored them because I had purchased a TV license (another saga there) but refused to give them email and telephone contact details. I wrote a strong letter directly to the named head of enforcement making it clear that if any employee of TV Licensing, the BBC or Capita ventured onto my property I would consider it a trespass. I got an acknowledgement back, although no apology, and have not heard anything since. Moral don't give them your email address, don't give them you phone number and preferably don't give them your name - it's the property that has to be licensed not the individual.
Interesting point about the property being licensed. What happens if you watch live TV in your touring caravan? Do you need another licence for the caravan as well one for your home?
Do you have access to the full email, and not just a screen shot? It should be easy to see from the mail headers if this is a scam or genuinely originating from TV Licensing. I would be happy to take a look if you can provide me with the source email, in confidence, of course.
Yes, I’ve gotten this email too… also one purporting to request I check if I need a license. No matter if I answer no to all their questions, (I don’t watch bbc or iplayer, air any live broadcast) they claim I need a TV license? I’ve not had one for over a decade, since I watch OnDemand services, Netflix, TH-cam creator content etc.
The email looks similar to the warnings and threats TV Licensing send trough the post. What would raise my suspicions is how they get an email address to match with your postcode. That, to me, looks very suspicious and I would treat it as a spam scam and delete it without clicking on any of the links it might provide.
As someone who once decided to no longer watch live TV and received visits/letters from TVL, with that kind of ambiguous language, I wouldn't be at all surprised if it was genuine. A look at the sender's address would probably confirm one way or the other though.
I'v never had one of the these emails , but for over two years I get stack of letters from them . They are designed to scare you , they have never turned up once at my place after constantly telling the will . I don't have a TV , I did but I don't now not for getting on for three years . I don't even open the letters any more they go directly into the bin
had lots in the past, and we have a licence. if viewing the email on a laptop or pc and through a proper email programme you can see the "from" address in its entirety and its usually nothing official and may even contain spelling mistakes, I wholly suspect that anyone pressing any link to "buy a TV Licence now" will end up at a fraudulent website that will take your money and in return you will still have no tv licence and realise you were duped.
been ignoring tvl for over 15 years only use youtube so i do not need one i get bits of them once every year i just phone them and say nope still do not need one , i have never had anyone from tv come round to where i live but then i do live in a block of flats so not easy to get access
I've not had an e-mail like this but with any mail I get from an unknown source I click on the from address and the correct address will show where it came from I.e. not from Tav licencing or wherever. Everyone needs to be aware of scams.
Every threatening letter I've had from TVL/ECapita, always has had the addressee as 'legal occupier'. I had one a couple of years ago (sadly long deleted). The email address was suspect and I traced it to a rogue spam account. I reported it to TVL and guess what? They weren't interested, they had no dedicated phishing or reporting a fraud email. I don't know if this is the case. I do still have a licence as some of my family still do watch live TV so I'll play the game until they've flown the nest. I do think this is suspect.
I received a written letter saying the same. I must have had 5 letters from them since filling out the online form that they promise will result in no more communication from them.
Question for you BBB: if I've cancelled my TV licence, and opted out of marketing comms, can they still send me warning emails/letters? Would that be a breach of GDPR since they have no lawful basis for processing my information anymore?
@Jojo Rabbit Why should you have to opt out every 2 years of what is essentially a bullying marketing communication. Surely for them to comply with GDPR you would have to opt in? Also, if you no longer have a licence, they have no lawful basis for processing your personal information, so should not even have it to send letters with.
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Shouldn't be sent by email: Should be sent to the registered address. They might have the email account associated with the address, but only if you have registered it and have a license. Otherwise this could be a breach of GDPR: Why do they have your email address if you don't have a license? So I would suspect it's a scam.
I had an email from TV licencing telling me I had failed to pay that months payment and to make a payment through the link in the email. Everything looked official however it was the wrong email account I use for my TV licence account and A payment had been made that month.a very cleaver email scam that no doubt caught many unaware. We all need to check and report the scam emails if in doubt go direct to the company requesting information about your bank or personal details.
Can you clear up a point I hear and about a lot. When someone turns up at your door stating they have a warrant or court order, does these orders have to have a signature of the judge who authorised it and dated and court stamped. ?
The problem is viewing this type of email on a mobile device, links are not presented correctly, since you cannot hover over them. However, you can usually long click to get a prompt, so you can see, or view this on a computer, then hovering over the link without clicking on it, will display the link in the lower left corner of the application you are using.
I had the same Email. It does go on to clarify that you are allowed to watch streaming services, DVDs and play Video game etc.. It says someone may come to the property to check etc and I would not receive a letter or Email for two years
I occasionally get scam emails claiming to be from TVL which is amusing as I do not need a TV license from them even though I watch SKY news live via TH-cam. I am currently living in Philippines so these emails along with those claiming to be from the tax office, royal mail and others get deleted.
I just got a letter the other day and it's been quite a while since the last one. I don't even bother reading them. As soon as I see the TV licensing letter header it goes straight in the bin. I got rid of my Virgin media box in 2020 and I'm completely above board with not having a TV licence. Only streaming services for me these days.
This sounds like "demanding money with menaces” which refers to a person/company threatening to do something that the victim would not wish them to do if payment is not made. If this is a scam, the actual TV Licencing company (Capita) won't have any interest in taking any action as these tactics are the same ones that they employ to cajole and scare people into parting with their money. I'm surprised that no soliciter has taken Capita to task legally on their business practices.
How can I tell TVL to cease and desist from harrassing me every year to 'reregister' that I do not require a TV license? I have not had nor needed one for over 8 years now, but they still persist in mailing me letters every year.
I've had loads of emails from spoof TV liscencing. All threaten court action if I don't pay through the email. If I hadn't already paid for one, I might have been worried. . .
I would like a visit from TV Licencing because I have not had a TV Licence since 2000 back in 2001 TV Licencing called in the Evening and I refused to answer or Let In as I was on my way to work
I received a similar email a couple of years ago was suspicious of it (given I had a licence at the time) so contacted TV Licencing who told me to forward the email to the National Cyber Security Centre, who have the power to investigate these emails and take action to shut them down
I have had 3 of these, not via email, but through the post. Two from the Middlesbrough TV Licensing enforcement office and one from the Hull TV licensing enforcement office. Unfortunately i put them straight in the bin. The last two actually gave me the date they intended to call, and i actually waited in (stupidly), because i intended to let them in and check my equipment and the lack of my capability to watch live television or any BBC content such as BBC Iplayer. But showing them my subscription to Netflix and Amazon Prime. My intention was to film the whole interaction with the enforcement officers inside my home, even setting up two GO Pro's in my living room and bedroom. Unfortunately they failed to turn up on Wednesday February 2nd for the third time. But these letters are very real.
@@david-reason With respect, i can assure you i wouldn't allow them to disrespect me in any shape or form, and i genuinely have no way of watching live tv, etc. But i thought it would make educational content for people to actually see how they act and conduct their investigation when entering your home after bombarding people with these intimidating letters. Subject to me informing them that they would be filmed from beginning to end. I am certainly not in the business of helping them, far from it.
I've had many letters, not any emails, from TV licensing. The last one I received is worded, "This means you are breaking the law if you are watching or recording live TV programmes on any channel, or downloading or watching BBC programmes on iPlayer, on any device." If it's a scam then it would surely be asking for personal details, money, or linking to a non TV licensing website.
What I would like to now is whether all these nasty letters, demands, emails, etc, that TV licensing send threatening, intimidating and harassing people into paying for a license which they either might not want nor even need, could amount to liability under the Protection from Harrassment Act 1997? This act has criminal as well as civil liability. Your thoughts please. I have a huge stack of these nasty pernicious communications from TV Licensing. They shouldn't be allowed to get away with such menacing and intimidating behaviour causing fear and terrible worry for millions of people particularly vulnerable people who just pay up to stop the endless stream of harassment.
Oddly enough I watched your video yesterday about refusing anyone from the TV licencing sales persons entry to your house, an hour later some one knocked on my door and I instinctively knew who it was and yes it was someone from the TV licensing team, I explained that I don't watch live TV and haven't for sone time, I have Netflix, amazon prime and youTube, he ask about iplayer and I have never used that and said I prefer youtube to which he said great isn't it
I have just watched this video regarding a TV licence ,back in 2011 i was prosecuted for not having a licence even though i did not have cable tv or a sky box not even an aerial in the property they gained access via a warrent with two police officers in attendance even though i have never had any interaction with one of their inspectors ? , but they won the case on the grounds that i had the capability to recieve a live signal by having a TV that was never tuned in to any stations and i ended up paying the cost of two licences but i still have never had a a licence and now declare no licence required so were they right or was i sucker punched into paying i should also mention that these so called tv inspectors lied stating that the tv was pluged in and switched on when it wasn't and discribed our room completely different to how it was but they got away with it even though i showed the court photo's from that evening
Scam emails contain the same set up. First there is some sort of threat that demands a quick response. Second there is a 'useful' link to click on to deal with the threat. Such emails should be deleted or reported if that is possible.
I only had one letter when I moved to my present address a little over two years ago , and made the online declaration that I don’t require a licence . I’ve kind of hoped they’d visit because I’d take pleasure in inviting them in to see that I do not have a television set and genuinely do not watch TV in any way , shape or form . I work in video production and the last thing I want to do when I come home is to watch TV .
I've got several similar letters over the years. I ignored them, my girlfriend responded to them eventually because she was terrified what might happen.
Never had one of these e-mails and i do not pay a tv licence , I do get an e-mail once a year asking if i still do not need a tv licence and the conditions to having one then a box with Yes i need a licence or the No i do mot need a licence , i tick the box with no and submit and they send me an e-mail saying i am okay for another year and what to do if i change my mind , hassle free .
There is often confusion on this subject as definitions are not usually made very clear. "Live TV", for the purpose of the definition in the TV licencing legislation, is defined as TV which is broadcast by a channel at a specific time set by that channel. For example, It can be pre-recorded (eg a sitcom) or live broadcast (news channel). Basically, the rule is that if YOU decide the start time of a programme (on demand), no TV licence is needed. But if the channel decides the start time (i.e a broadcast), then you do need one. And the iPlayer is the only exception to this - you need a licence to watch iPlayer despite the fact that it's on demand and you choose the start time.
I just had another letter from them on Saturday 12th and it's nothing like the one that you are showing it's the standard letter that send quite a bit via the post. To date I have about 15 letters from them.
We ignore ALL communications from TVL. Whether email, post personal visit. There is no law requiring anyone to interact with these salesmen.
Yeah they like sending those letters. Still they come in handy for getting the fire going.
Can't we sue them for harassment? I have about 30 letters. £30,000 worth of threats.
I send them back to Capita, Darlington DL98 1AT, with a loving message on the front.
It gives a postman a job and my message tells them what I think of them.
@@wuffothewonderdog Attach a brick,. next time.
Same here. I keep getting letters asking me to confirm that I DO NOT require a TVL. I cancelled years ago, don't watch TV and have no intention of doing so in the near future. If they want to come to my address, as they've stated in several letters, so be it. I fear them not.
Yes TV licencing try to scare you into thinking you need a TV licence when you may not. Could you comment on the harrissing letters / emails like the one you read out. If this was from any other company or person, would this not constitute harassment? I do not know or have ever heard of any other company getting away with such intimidating and aggressive marketing!
ABSOLUTELY right, Wayne. i mean............. those screamingly red envelopes they use when they go to threat level 3.2. Like you say: "If this was from any other company or person, would this not constitute harassment?" 100%. i don't know how they are allowed to do this.
@@raymondo162 Their allowed to get away with this 'scam' due to the protection they get from the government. If anyone else tried these tactics to get 'sales', they would be banned pronto from carrying out any business I should think. If the beeb "went" tomorrow, it would be a day too late.
It needs class action to make TVL stop and also to prevent bbc from contracting another company to start the harassments again.
@@sirmalus5153 It would be interesting to see if someone setup a fake letter changeing the company name and phone numbers but used the rest of TVL text/Fonts with the correct details of where to complain about it on the back, possibly even doing interview followups getting peoples reactions
and to add guaranteed when they complain and read part of the letter they will be told oh thats TVL they can do that only tofind it is not and then decide they want to take action
I've received this also. Addressed to "The Occupier" so I can ignore it ... The other one, I have previously received begins with "We know, You know" . I keep them all, in a safe place. My shredder. It's just FEAR porn.
The Occupier ones are because they don't know who lives there & a licence isn't on the system, but it's still them
@@djsylambert
Even if you're watching TV, It's the "property" that needs to be licensed, not the occupier. That's why they need you to admit to it. Ignore the threat-o-grammes and close the door if they turn up. You're under no obligation to co-operate with them.
Surely, sending you an email, to an email address which you have not provided to them, is against data laws?
Wow, they don't even know the law! I watch TV perfectly legally without a licence as you've described in the video. The bbc just needs closing down.
That's exactly how i watch tv and have done for many years. Why pay for something that I don't want, can't watch or even recieve. Next "they" will want to charge for walking outside, for using the sun to light your way. No such thing as free sunlight if they get their way.
They certainly do know the law but they're prepared to lie in their letters and emails in order to frighten as many people as possible into paying for a tv licence even if they don't need one. Complaining to an mp or the police is probably pointless as they will take the side of an establishment institution like the bbc any day.
Genuine or not, this email follows the EXACT format and wording being used in recent written letters as has been documented by several anti-TV license TH-cam channels
Not had a licence for 3 years. Not even switched the tv on in that time. Don't miss it one bit!
Not received an email from them as yet.
Yes I've had several letters and emails since moving home in August last year. I've ignored the emails and the letters have been recycled. I hate it though...
If you don't watch live TV or use iPlayer you don't need a TV licence. You can watch catch-up services apart from iPlayer without a TV licence. It's a simple matter to cancel your TV licence. Just go to the licencing page on the BBC's website and fill in a simple form once every two years or so. By doing that you won't receive letters or visits from the TV licence sales department.
Why should you have to do this every 2 years. My HGV license expired years ago and I’ve never needed to remind anyone that I still don’t need it..
@@h0rn3y0ne
They state on their website that they will ask you if you need a licence after two years.
@@awatt If someone/ company sent you a letter every 2 years to state that you no longer wanted to buy their product, you would bin their letter. Same for TV licence
@@m0ther0ne
I answer one online question once every two years or get god knows how many letters and people at my door. I know what I prefer to do.
@@awatt It's not a problem you don't need to do everything it's not up to the public to keep them informed.
The first step to make sure that it is not a phishing scam, is to examine the domain that the links in the email point to. You can then use a WHOIS lookup to see who owns the domain, when it was created etc. If it doesn't belong to TV licencing, it would most likely be an attempt to phish for details.
This was my first thought too. It could be a successful phishing scam if sent to enough people.
Some of the more elaborate scams use some Russian characters that look the same as western characters however are treated differently so the address looks normal.
уеаос look like yeaoc in English typeset other letters in Russian like квгрмн could easily be "overlooked" but the front size is just a little different.
That's true, although the SMTP headers can also be useful in tracing the route it took :-)
Bingo, and that is what this is...
Another thing to do is to open up the full headers of the message ie click show original in gmail, internet headers in outlook, raw source in apple mail, etc. Scanning down those headers is a log of everything that happened to the message to get it to you but it is in reverse order as each server adds their logs to the top of the message. So you want to pay attention to the Recieved: header closest to the bottom it with read something like this.
Recieved: from hostname (hostname [ip-address])
Now that first domain name there is the one the server itself claimed in it's handshake but the one in brackets is the reverse DNS of their IP address. Both of these should match and should be a legitimate domain registered to the company that allegedly sent the message. Check whois to confirm the registrant of the domain name it should be in the name of the business and the address will usually be their corporate head office. If any of this is not the case increase suspicion.
Oh and one other thing to look for any headers with Authentication-Results: in their name if any of the indented lines have the word fail after the equals sign this is a bad sign too. That means that the sender address claims to be from a domain that has published whitelists and/or signature keys for mail in their DNS record and the mail does not comply with those policies or has no/bad signatures. Rarely this could mean someone messed up but far more likely is that the email did not come from where it claims to.
Anyway if any of this stuff looks off at all and it is a mail you are still concerned about still click absolutely nothing in the message and do not reply (At best doing this will confirm to the scammers they have a live email address and increase spam but a malware infection is very likely). Find the companies phone number or email address independently from their official website and contact them that way. Or if it is a TV licence threatogram just delete it and get on with your day actually in that case just do that from the start as even if it is legit it is just racketeering anyway.
You should do a collab with ChilliJonCarne as he's very into all of this and seems to be clued into the law pretty well and I think he has actually covered this very email on one of his videos and pretty much said the same thing as you have here.
As for the email, it wouldn't surprise me if it were actually from TV Licencing. They have been consistently lying to everyone for decades, the "detector vans" being a prime example.
Pretty sure this one isn't the whole "I can prove I am telling the truth with some random trivia that can be looked up on facebook or google" thing makes it sound like it was written by a child with an overactive imagination or a scammer. Big red flag there. Legitimate companies are not inclined to engage in such obvious try hard behaviour because it looks blatantly scammy.
@@seraphina985 Good point. I'd like to examine the actual email to check the links, that'd be pretty conclusive.
Could you imagine if that has come from TV Licensing and he does take issue with them?
I’ll get the popcorn! 👍🏻
@@seraphina985 Your wrong about the detector vans, the old TV sets pre LCD ect. When being used it produced a radio frequency called an IF of around 10Mhz, the TV detector vans had a fibreglass side panel and an aerial with a tuner dedicated to 10Mhz, all they had to do is drive past each house and look for that frequency coming from your house and bingo you had a TV that was on.
@@TheLastSock behave some houses back to back the tv could be 2 feet apart
According to ChillJonCarne (youtube streamer), they send letters identical to this all the time. Usually, further down in the letter or email, they state the actual legislation surrounding the use of TV and when a license is needed. They typically always open with statements that are factually incorrect but then add the correct information later in the correspondence.
If our MPs had any decency, they would summon the head of the BBC and of Capita to a televised committee and read out genuine letters from TV licence goons and ask them why they think them appropriate.
This happened in the days of Greg Dyke who was summoned before a select committee regarding the TV licencing letters and the goons. Many promises were made by Dyke and his lickspitals all of which have been broken. The meetings were televised on BBC Parliament.
Why would the Govt. want to do anything bad to their Propoganda and Fear Outlet?
When I first cancelled I got five emails from them from confirmation of cancelling and three like this then I got monthly letters through the post they also state what you said not in every letter.
My mum add a letter through the post saying they are sending some on out on the 27 January , she was 85 living on her own , how intimidating this would have been for her. My mum past away a year ago tomorrow 16 February they were told of her death as they asking for money for her license because now pensioners have to pay. Then we found a letter yesterday threatening fines it’s a very intimidating letter for a old person to get I’m very upset as it is right at the time we lost my mum
I had a letter telling me I had been caught illegally watching BBC IPlayer.
Not true.
These letters are meant to cause alarm and distress,and they never stop.
Their enforcement officers are in fact salesmen.
It is time this harassment was stopped
I recall hearing that the TV license is going to be scrapped in a few years, 2027 I think.
@@hikaru9624 there is talk of the cost being added to the council tax bill
@@johnlesliegriffiths1430 How would they justify that though?
@@hikaru9624 Justify?
The same old;BBC are a much loved national institute
@@johnlesliegriffiths1430 that's not what I meant. If the government allows the BBC to get funds via taxes for a luxury then we need a better government.
It sounds genuine to me. The wording matches the one I received this morning for my no licence needed declaration. Mine was genuine, but just had the threat of sending someone to visit, but I've never seen anyone.
Got mine this morning, too. According to the email, TH-cam live streams are now verboten, unless you hand Crapita £160.
Treat it just the same as the paper letters - in this case, delete or paper versions, in the bin or on the fire, nothing they can do, if your not watching live tv or through the IPlayer
Can i ask.... the constant letters that come through my door from tv licence ,,,can these be considered as harrassment...constantly telling me they are going to visit, or asking if im going to be in on a certain day as they"might visit" on that day or another day. Im sick of them constantly sending them. I know i can register that i dont need one, but im not prepared to give them any of my details to hold on record. Im sure if i write to them they will then just add my details to this address.
Just give your details as first name thesole surname occupier date of birth 01 04 21 , then when you get another see if they write to the sole occupier , then change to the joint occupier, the list could be immense, also ask council to put you on the edited electoral register not the open one
TOTALLY agree with you. harrassment it is. something needs doing. BB ??
How can it be harrasment if you're too lazy or obstinate to bother to tell they that you object to the letters, or that they've been sent under a false assumption.
Would you let a double glazing salesmen in to inspect your double glazing? They are same, they are salesmen from CAPITA, a company that tries to get revenue in by sending scary letters saying their Enforcement officer(salesman) will be paying a visit. Only if you are frightened of double glazing salesmen should you be worried.
@@chavbudgie4299 The difference is there is no legal requirement to ever own double-glazing...Tell you what, try replacing 'double-glazing' with 'road tax' or 'VAT' and run that analogy again.
Yes they emailed me the other day saying that their tone would 'become progressively stronger' if I continue to ignore them and that they will just keep writing to me regardless of my request to cancel! I'd already written to them three times (politely) to cancel my license, it's like they refuse to accept it!
I have a genuine letter from TVL stating exactly this which also went on to say... *"You can't make this problem go away by ignoring it, it'll only get worse if you do. You can make it go away by contacting us. It's best to call so that our advisers can help you find a way to repay what you owe."*
Considering I didn't owe them anything. I also recorded myself reporting this to the police and they logged it as blackmail. I then uploaded it to youtube including the followup from which was quite funny !! I have made many videos regarding the TV licence.
good work.
As long as you really don't need a TV licence then if you just ignore it, it will go away.
@@simonavarne9635 The Threatening letters never stop, even if you register with the BBC as not needing a licence many people still get threatening letters.
@@PINACI True but just like all junk mail they can be ignored
I was scammed by an email I thought was from the tv licensing people. I was then told by the tv licensing people that they don't send out emails
I've had similar types stating from tv licensing. Mine had a lot of threats in it, and stated i could pay now to prevent prosecution. When i pressed "reply" to see the email address, it said licensing and an @ with a person's name. (I know, i chanced it by pressing reply.) This told me it was not tv licensing.
However, if you ever call tv licensing to state you don't watch tv or live tv, they ask if you have anything in your home that you could watch tv from - phone, tablet, pc, tv. Then tell you that you must buy a licence if you have any of them in the house. Of course, this is not true. But they try it on, anyway.
This is just one of a series of letters that TVL sends out, I've been getting various levels of threats, (and they are threats) for over two years. Twice they have given me a date when they will call, I know they haven't because they haven't left a card to say they have called. It must have cost TVL more than the value of the licence fee to administer, print and post this series of letters. The letters are normally from a PO Box in Darlington, so now they just get torn up and thrown in the bin. It is time someone took action against the TVL for the amount and regularity of threats they send out.
TV Licencing has been sending inaccurate (lying?) communications for as long as I can remember. Some 35 years ago I received a letter telling me I needed a TV licence "to use a television set". At the time I was using a TV as a monitor for my Sinclair Spectrum and knew I didn't need a licence for that so I wrote and asked them to confirm that the law required me to have a TV licence no matter what I used the television for. No reply.
It’s a scam, mate. Typical of other phishing emails. If you click on the security link (if it is there) it’ll be a link that as soon as you click on it, will put malware on your computer.
Easiest way to check is look at the email address
@@khuzram Unless they spoof it
Whether it's a scam or real TVL, it goes in the same bin. 😂
I agree with Wayne Nixon and would like to know how tv licencing can get away with threats and harassment. Their letters are full of such inaccuracies as you describe in this video.
It's got to be a scam, otherwise they would have put the correct address in the email and not just a postcode, which covers multiple addresses. TV licences are issued to addresses, not postcodes.
Do you not see an issue in sending an email with is relatively insecure with someones name and full home address on it? That's a lot of personal data to be putting in it needlessly, the second half of post code with the licence number is enough. Banks send emails with half the post code and some other details obscured as well. Still doesn't give any guarantees that's it's genuine so should avoid clicking on any links.
You don't actually need the full address to send correspondence through the Royal Mail, just the house name/number and postcode
@@ifyokoi9419 That just makes it look more like a scam. Anyone can get a random house number and a valid random UK postcode and hope it hits the target.
To see if it's a scam, just look at the sender's address. 99% of the time that's the instant give away. I've seen some pretty convincing ones, but there's always that little give away. So far, it's stood me in good stead.
It is possible to spoof the sender's email address and email servers can be hacked so that shouldn't be relied on. Scammers could also buy domains that look very similar to the real ones for a few quid there are companies that don't even use the domain of their website for email they use something else which can look very dodgy so really there's no good way to guarantee a genuine email or a very good scammer that knows what they're doing, which isn't many of them but they are getting better than they were a few years ago, other than not using any links on the email and checking with the company directly.
I've had intimidation letters with the same basic issue, but not for a long time. When I first cancelled my TV license in 2009, the first intimidation letter I received had the wording "If you watch or record TV at this address and you don't have a TV Licence, you need to buy one straight away.". Although streaming TV probably hadn't quite taken off back then, you could watch TV programs legally by e.g. buying them on DVD. I was more concerned that I was getting the first of these letters within a few weeks of cancelling my license (and providing at least a verbal declaration right then). I did the declaration again, and it was for three years back then - but that didn't stop them from starting the intimidation letters again one year later in 2011, then again in 2012, then again is 2013. It's in character and not the first time.
I am amazed that anyone can find anything to watch from the bbc these days. My 90 year old mother asks me several times a day why her television doesn’t receive the bbc anymore. I have to show her the bbc channels and explain that they don’t do any programming aimed at her even though they now want her to pay.
I don't have a TV. Never had since 1998 and yet I always feel fearful that I'm doing something wrong when I receive a letter from them
I recieved letter like this even though hadn't even used the TV at that point, and so far have only used Netflix on the TV since the living room has a blank plate over where the the aerial would come in. This is new build so there is no information on previous use.
I feel the assumption is the default is people watch TV even a newly build house with no previous history of a TV being there. They are pressuring people to pay for revenue purposes using legal sounding jargon.
How long would this strategy last without backlash? I have previously defended the licence fee, but they are doing themselves out of a valid argument for such a system. Especially in light of streamed subscription media.
This has been the strategy for many many years
Question sir; in what way does a Royal Mail [error... hand] delivered letter from TV Licencing differ from what I would describe as, "an unsubstantiated demand for monies with the threat of menace upon failure to comply"?
I agree.
“Menaces” refers to a high degree of coercion - so “demanding money with menaces” refers to a person threatening to do something the victim would not wish them to do if payment is not made.
A threat of criminal prosecution if you continue to commit a crime is not a threat of menace. Obviously they should have some grounds for believing you are committing a crime before they threaten to prosecute you for it, but in practice they typically include plenty of "ifs" in their communications - you will be prosecuted *if* you watch (broadcast) TV.
Also, if it is delivered by Royal Mail then it isn't hand delivered. Hand delivered means delivered by the hand of the person sending it.
@@thomasdalton1508 sorry yes, I had two thought processes running: happy to leave the error in honour of your attentiveness. there was something about Royal Mail delivery that I recall added a legal angle but my memory may be confusing Al Capone. The first threat is that they will come round and hand deliver it.
@@thomasdalton1508 if you watch live TV covered by the licence remit
@@amojak Broadcast TV is a better description than live TV. "Live" usually means it is being broadcast at the same time it is taking place, which isn't relevant.
Looks like an email version of the letters they like to send.
Happily my recycling bin is next to the letter box and their letters are easy to spot.
My shredder is by my front door.....and not had a TV since 1999
Had the letter , straight in the bin !
@@ukfmcbradioservicingTango21 Maybe if we all used their letters as toilette paper, then re-posted them, the post office would take on these scammers.
Not that I am advising anyone to do that of course, as THAT WOULD BE SO WRONG wouldn't it??.
I'd treat it and report it to TVL as a scam for them to deal with. Scams are becoming a lot more common and we need to actually show these scammers that they do actually get reported.
Report scam to another scammer?
I'm about to cancel mine, don't watch TV, I haven't for years only TH-cam and Netflix
If you haven't watched live TV 'for years', why has it taken you till now to cancel your BBC permission slip?
@@learningpianoat61 we are subscribed to sky, without that we wouldn't be able to get any form of Internet to where we live, the first channel to pop up is BBC. We were told that because we would have that come up on screen before we could go to other channels we would be classed as watching BBC and need a licence.
last year when i was doing the no licence required declaration i noticed that their website contains misleading information as do their letters. tried bringing the points to their attention but gave up after a month due to lack of response on their part.
I have never had an email from TVL. Any obvious correspondence from them goes straight into the bin.
I haven't had that email, but I have long wondered how many threatening, misleading letters they have to send before it constitutes some form of harassment...
As far as I understand the letters they send out say the same wording saying it is illegal to watch TV at X address rather than saying it is illegal to watch LIVE TV or use BBC iPlayer said address because their intention is to defraud people using scare tactics into purchasing a TV License rather than being factual.
The best thing to do with emails such as this is to delete them, then forget them, it's got scam written all over it.
They send the same wording as a letter and have done for years. They get away with it because no one can afford to take the BBC to court. If you report it as harassment the police take no notice as soon as they find out its the BBC. Whereas should you deliver a letter to their head of revenue collections, once, the police will take that up as harrassment even though the law says it isn't and they shouldn't be involved. Still have the letter that came after my no licence needed declaration that says they'll assume I'm now watching TV again as I haven't told them I'm not. They've written to me as they 'Target unlicenced homes' as they have done for 5 years - is that legal? could police target your home if you'd been assumed to have broken the law - but there is no evidence.
If the police take no notice, what about sending it to you MP? As the TV licencing it a Government-funded agency (I may be wrong) and our MPs are supposed to represent us in Government, then get them to sort it out. Just an idea.
the sooner people realize the police are NOT you friends, and they do NOT serve you, the better.
@@inspectorcal totally agree
You are correct.I git a crime reference number after reporting them for harassment. The police texted the next day to say it was not a crime - it was apparent that it was because it was from them.
Why do you get so stressed about that? It's just computer generated letters everyone gets. Throw it in the bin and go about your day. Nobody's going to raid your house.
since when have Capita bothered with being accurate and legally correct in their threatograms?
Ha, "threatograms" - that made I larff... :)
I contacted tv licensing and cancelled my license as I don't require one, they even refunded me some money and then within two weeks I was receiving their silly letters and emails trying to scare me into giving them my money again. One of the emails I received was exactly the same as this one, I believe it is genuine from the BBC
Tv licensing instantly ignore so doesn’t matter if it’s a scam or genuine , just delete .
We've not had any TV licence for the last 6 years, we have a TV but it doesn't receive terrestrial programs, it's only used for watching dvds, told the licensing team and got a letter confirming we don't need one.
speaking as an ex postie who was around when post codes were introduced if as you say this letter stated watching TV at insert postcode, apart from exceptional circumstances like a huge office block belonging to a Bank Headquarters etc a post code is not one premises it can cover anywhere from say 3 houses up to 30 or more it depends on the type of road access and housing density, maybe query with Royal Mail ?
Smells like a phishing scam to me. Just looked at a letter from them (I collect them to hand back to any "officer" who decides to come knocking) and it is a lot more specific; "... if TV is being watched, recorded or downloaded illegally.", "It is illegal to watch or record live TV programmes..." though this letter is from September.
But was the licence number correct?
I have had loads of these kinds of letters from TV licensing, saying they will visiting on various days etc and never show up, I just ignore them all
Tricky with a screenshot however, as with any emails containing links, hover over the link and it should show you bottom left of the screen where it's actually going to. Don't click it. Some of the better phishing scam emails I've seen have purported to be from TV Licensing. Better as in use of language and spelling that makes them seem legitimate. If in doubt about any email, go to the website in question without using the links in the actual email.
Never use the links there are unicode characters that look almost indistinguishable to english letters that are not but are valid in domains. Scammers sometimes use this to register domains that would look indistinguishable from the real one with that method.
Interestingly, if you declare that you do not need a TV license directly with TV licensing the wording of their thank you correspondence is crystal clear. It is possible that the unscrupulously worded emails are coming from Capita using the TVL domain. Happy to send a copy of the 'thanks for declaring you don't need a TVL' email if you need it for reference.
I received a letter through the post with almost the exact same words so there is a good chance that it is from Crapita on behalf of the BBC. It was followed up by some other equally intimidating letters which I also ignored.
I ignored them because I had purchased a TV license (another saga there) but refused to give them email and telephone contact details. I wrote a strong letter directly to the named head of enforcement making it clear that if any employee of TV Licensing, the BBC or Capita ventured onto my property I would consider it a trespass. I got an acknowledgement back, although no apology, and have not heard anything since.
Moral don't give them your email address, don't give them you phone number and preferably don't give them your name - it's the property that has to be licensed not the individual.
Interesting point about the property being licensed. What happens if you watch live TV in your touring caravan? Do you need another licence for the caravan as well one for your home?
@@mechanoid5739 The license at the caravans owners home address covers TV in touring caravans.
Do you have access to the full email, and not just a screen shot? It should be easy to see from the mail headers if this is a scam or genuinely originating from TV Licensing. I would be happy to take a look if you can provide me with the source email, in confidence, of course.
Yes, I’ve gotten this email too… also one purporting to request I check if I need a license. No matter if I answer no to all their questions, (I don’t watch bbc or iplayer, air any live broadcast) they claim I need a TV license? I’ve not had one for over a decade, since I watch OnDemand services, Netflix, TH-cam creator content etc.
I received a physical letter from TV Licensing with the exact wording as that email.
Which doesn't mean much, as any scammer could have just replicated a physical letter as an email
The email looks similar to the warnings and threats TV Licensing send trough the post. What would raise my suspicions is how they get an email address to match with your postcode. That, to me, looks very suspicious and I would treat it as a spam scam and delete it without clicking on any of the links it might provide.
As someone who once decided to no longer watch live TV and received visits/letters from TVL, with that kind of ambiguous language, I wouldn't be at all surprised if it was genuine. A look at the sender's address would probably confirm one way or the other though.
I'v never had one of the these emails , but for over two years I get stack of letters from them . They are designed to scare you , they have never turned up once at my place after constantly telling the will . I don't have a TV , I did but I don't now not for getting on for three years . I don't even open the letters any more they go directly into the bin
had lots in the past, and we have a licence. if viewing the email on a laptop or pc and through a proper email programme you can see the "from" address in its entirety and its usually nothing official and may even contain spelling mistakes, I wholly suspect that anyone pressing any link to "buy a TV Licence now" will end up at a fraudulent website that will take your money and in return you will still have no tv licence and realise you were duped.
Never click on links in emails. Call the company directly on their website.
This is from them. Yes it is giving false information.
I have never had e-mails from TVL BUT I have had paper mail which says exactly the same as this.
I can confirm that this letter is genuine, I have received them on a regular basis for years. PS, I do not require a licence.
been ignoring tvl for over 15 years only use youtube so i do not need one i get bits of them once every year i just phone them and say nope still do not need one , i have never had anyone from tv come round to where i live but then i do live in a block of flats so not easy to get access
I've not had an e-mail like this but with any mail I get from an unknown source I click on the from address and the correct address will show where it came from I.e. not from Tav licencing or wherever. Everyone needs to be aware of scams.
Every threatening letter I've had from TVL/ECapita, always has had the addressee as 'legal occupier'. I had one a couple of years ago (sadly long deleted). The email address was suspect and I traced it to a rogue spam account. I reported it to TVL and guess what? They weren't interested, they had no dedicated phishing or reporting a fraud email. I don't know if this is the case. I do still have a licence as some of my family still do watch live TV so I'll play the game until they've flown the nest. I do think this is suspect.
I hope the person that sent that email to you, re-sends the full email.
You said as long as it's not live tv or BBC iPlayer, then go on to say "like I said as long as it's not live or recorded: here 2:42
I received a written letter saying the same. I must have had 5 letters from them since filling out the online form that they promise will result in no more communication from them.
Question for you BBB: if I've cancelled my TV licence, and opted out of marketing comms, can they still send me warning emails/letters? Would that be a breach of GDPR since they have no lawful basis for processing my information anymore?
@Jojo Rabbit Why should you have to opt out every 2 years of what is essentially a bullying marketing communication. Surely for them to comply with GDPR you would have to opt in? Also, if you no longer have a licence, they have no lawful basis for processing your personal information, so should not even have it to send letters with.
No consent do not enter in to contract send them letter stating your contract. That they will be charged 150pound every time they contact you. templates on line 100 percent lawfull .😇🤗🤐
@Jojo Rabbit Amen to that. Still be interested in BBB's take though.
Shouldn't be sent by email: Should be sent to the registered address. They might have the email account associated with the address, but only if you have registered it and have a license. Otherwise this could be a breach of GDPR: Why do they have your email address if you don't have a license?
So I would suspect it's a scam.
I had an email from TV licencing telling me I had failed to pay that months payment and to make a payment through the link in the email. Everything looked official however it was the wrong email account I use for my TV licence account and A payment had been made that month.a very cleaver email scam that no doubt caught many unaware. We all need to check and report the scam emails if in doubt go direct to the company requesting information about your bank or personal details.
Can you clear up a point I hear and about a lot. When someone turns up at your door stating they have a warrant or court order, does these orders have to have a signature of the judge who authorised it and dated and court stamped. ?
They need to have all that on them, and a lot more, eg name of the executing officer, names of other officers in attendance, expiry date etc.
In red ink by a judge or its not lawfull Court bailiffs hav no lawfull entry to your home only policeman, woman with a warranty with red ink simples 🤣
The problem is viewing this type of email on a mobile device, links are not presented correctly, since you cannot hover over them. However, you can usually long click to get a prompt, so you can see, or view this on a computer, then hovering over the link without clicking on it, will display the link in the lower left corner of the application you are using.
I had the same Email. It does go on to clarify that you are allowed to watch streaming services, DVDs and play Video game etc.. It says someone may come to the property to check etc and I would not receive a letter or Email for two years
I occasionally get scam emails claiming to be from TVL which is amusing as I do not need a TV license from them even though I watch SKY news live via TH-cam. I am currently living in Philippines so these emails along with those claiming to be from the tax office, royal mail and others get deleted.
I just got a letter the other day and it's been quite a while since the last one. I don't even bother reading them. As soon as I see the TV licensing letter header it goes straight in the bin. I got rid of my Virgin media box in 2020 and I'm completely above board with not having a TV licence. Only streaming services for me these days.
This sounds like "demanding money with menaces” which refers to a person/company threatening to do something that the victim would not wish them to do if payment is not made. If this is a scam, the actual TV Licencing company (Capita) won't have any interest in taking any action as these tactics are the same ones that they employ to cajole and scare people into parting with their money. I'm surprised that no soliciter has taken Capita to task legally on their business practices.
Yes I am surprised also I can go back 50 years AND STILL WE ARE TALKING ABOUT THIS JUST ANOTHER ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM.. WHY IS HE NOT ADDRESSING THAT.
How can I tell TVL to cease and desist from harrassing me every year to 'reregister' that I do not require a TV license? I have not had nor needed one for over 8 years now, but they still persist in mailing me letters every year.
I've had loads of emails from spoof TV liscencing. All threaten court action if I don't pay through the email. If I hadn't already paid for one, I might have been worried. . .
Iv had letters in the mail from them trying to state that Netflix or any other streaming service you need a license.
I would like a visit from TV Licencing because I have not had a TV Licence since 2000 back in 2001 TV Licencing called in the Evening and I refused to answer or Let In as I was on my way to work
I received a similar email a couple of years ago was suspicious of it (given I had a licence at the time) so contacted TV Licencing who told me to forward the email to the National Cyber Security Centre, who have the power to investigate these emails and take action to shut them down
I have had 3 of these, not via email, but through the post. Two from the Middlesbrough TV Licensing enforcement office and one from the Hull TV licensing enforcement office. Unfortunately i put them straight in the bin. The last two actually gave me the date they intended to call, and i actually waited in (stupidly), because i intended to let them in and check my equipment and the lack of my capability to watch live television or any BBC content such as BBC Iplayer. But showing them my subscription to Netflix and Amazon Prime. My intention was to film the whole interaction with the enforcement officers inside my home, even setting up two GO Pro's in my living room and bedroom. Unfortunately they failed to turn up on Wednesday February 2nd for the third time. But these letters are very real.
KDN North Yorkshire - You sir, are a gentleman. But you will be treated like shit and gain naught by helping them. Best wishes . .
Commendable honesty but inviting them in at all could be a mistake
@@david-reason With respect, i can assure you i wouldn't allow them to disrespect me in any shape or form, and i genuinely have no way of watching live tv, etc. But i thought it would make educational content for people to actually see how they act and conduct their investigation when entering your home after bombarding people with these intimidating letters. Subject to me informing them that they would be filmed from beginning to end. I am certainly not in the business of helping them, far from it.
Yes, I haven't received that as an email but as a letter. That's exactly what they say on it
I've had many letters, not any emails, from TV licensing. The last one I received is worded, "This means you are breaking the law if you are watching or recording live TV programmes on any channel, or downloading or watching BBC programmes on iPlayer, on any device."
If it's a scam then it would surely be asking for personal details, money, or linking to a non TV licensing website.
I have never had an email from the licencing people and I wouldn't respond to an email anyway. It's a scam
What I would like to now is whether all these nasty letters, demands, emails, etc, that TV licensing send threatening, intimidating and harassing people into paying for a license which they either might not want nor even need, could amount to liability under the Protection from Harrassment Act 1997? This act has criminal as well as civil liability. Your thoughts please. I have a huge stack of these nasty pernicious communications from TV Licensing. They shouldn't be allowed to get away with such menacing and intimidating behaviour causing fear and terrible worry for millions of people particularly vulnerable people who just pay up to stop the endless stream of harassment.
Send all TVL correspondence back to them unopened simply write rtn to sender on it and pop it back in the postbox.
Oddly enough I watched your video yesterday about refusing anyone from the TV licencing sales persons entry to your house, an hour later some one knocked on my door and I instinctively knew who it was and yes it was someone from the TV licensing team, I explained that I don't watch live TV and haven't for sone time, I have Netflix, amazon prime and youTube, he ask about iplayer and I have never used that and said I prefer youtube to which he said great isn't it
I have just watched this video regarding a TV licence ,back in 2011 i was prosecuted for not having a licence even though i did not have cable tv or a sky box not even an aerial in the property they gained access via a warrent with two police officers in attendance even though i have never had any interaction with one of their inspectors ? , but they won the case on the grounds that i had the capability to recieve a live signal by having a TV that was never tuned in to any stations and i ended up paying the cost of two licences but i still have never had a a licence and now declare no licence required so were they right or was i sucker punched into paying i should also mention that these so called tv inspectors lied stating that the tv was pluged in and switched on when it wasn't and discribed our room completely different to how it was but they got away with it even though i showed the court photo's from that evening
Scam emails contain the same set up.
First there is some sort of threat that demands a quick response. Second there is a 'useful' link to click on to deal with the threat.
Such emails should be deleted or reported if that is possible.
I only had one letter when I moved to my present address a little over two years ago , and made the online declaration that I don’t require a licence .
I’ve kind of hoped they’d visit because I’d take pleasure in inviting them in to see that I do not have a television set and genuinely do not watch TV in any way , shape or form .
I work in video production and the last thing I want to do when I come home is to watch TV .
email hadn't been invented when I last had a tv licence. All contact with me is by post to "the occupier."
I've got several similar letters over the years. I ignored them, my girlfriend responded to them eventually because she was terrified what might happen.
I canceled the Radio Times (after 44 years) a month ago and decided to cancel my licence (due on Dec 1) today. I'll let you know how it goes.
Never had one of these e-mails and i do not pay a tv licence , I do get an e-mail once a year asking if i still do not need a tv licence and the conditions to having one then a box with Yes i need a licence or the No i do mot need a licence , i tick the box with no and submit and they send me an e-mail saying i am okay for another year and what to do if i change my mind , hassle free .
This is exactly how they word their letters and e-mails!
There is often confusion on this subject as definitions are not usually made very clear. "Live TV", for the purpose of the definition in the TV licencing legislation, is defined as TV which is broadcast by a channel at a specific time set by that channel. For example, It can be pre-recorded (eg a sitcom) or live broadcast (news channel).
Basically, the rule is that if YOU decide the start time of a programme (on demand), no TV licence is needed. But if the channel decides the start time (i.e a broadcast), then you do need one. And the iPlayer is the only exception to this - you need a licence to watch iPlayer despite the fact that it's on demand and you choose the start time.
I suspect TV licensing will get more desperate with their sales tactics as their core user base continues to die out.
I just had another letter from them on Saturday 12th and it's nothing like the one that you are showing it's the standard letter that send quite a bit via the post. To date I have about 15 letters from them.